The Beck Diet Solution

Ever wonder why some people lose weight so easily while others struggle so hard? Some point out it is because of the difference in body composition eating habits, but psychologist Dr. Judith Beck thinks otherwise. She believes that people struggle with their weight loss because they do not know know to think like a thin person. Their best intentions are sabotaged by their behavior, mindset, lifestyle, and habits.

In her book "The Beck Diet Solution," Dr. Beck does not provide what to eat or what exercise routines one should do to lose weight fast. Instead, she associates weight loss to a field of expertise she knows best: cognitive behavioral therapy.

The gist

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychological treatment that uses one’s cognitions, assumptions, beliefs, and behaviors and identify how they are dysfunctional, inaccurate, or simply not helpful. Judith is a daughter of Dr. Aaron Beck, who is famous for perfecting cognitive behavioral therapy on people suffering from depression. She then used the same psychotherapy to aid people struggling with healthy eating and weight loss. For instance, people who struggle to lose weight often have thoughts such as "I know my diet plan says I shouldn’t eat this, but I don’t care," or "It’s okay to eat this; It’s just one time."

Dr. Beck recommends solving these problems that interfere with the readers’ weight loss by helping them pinpoint what causes them to go back to square one. The reasons could range from lack of time (r the perception of lack of time), bad habits like eating in front of the television, using food as comfort and stress relief, to not wanting to offend hosts at parties or servers in restaurants. And because these bad habits trigger them to eat poorly, they feel bad, dampening their hopes for success, begin to lose faith in their ability to manage their weight, and eventually triggered to eat again.

The therapy teaches the readers that good intentions and willpower could only get them so far. After the first few days of enthusiasm, people need the knowhow, preparation, pragmatism, as well as the ability to confront and work through the inevitable difficulties that will go along their way.

Advantages and disadvantages

Most of the book contains day-by-day plans for breaking out of a self-sabotaging mindset. The readers are provided with little goals, checklists, to-do tasks, and explanations of why these strategies work. Dr. Beck also includes some transcripts of therapy sessions with her clients to show how they were able to work through their negative self-talk and end up with a different view of things.

Be forewarned that the book, as you may have noticed by now, does not contain much information about eating plans or exercise routines. If you are looking for a diet plan that provides just that, it is better to look for another book. However, The Beck Diet Solution can give you your own diet plan but in a different light, using your "mind muscles" to help you stay in control and make good choices.

Conclusion

The Beck Diet Solution is not just a handy guide to accomplish one’s weight loss goals, but also as a point of entry into solving other areas in life with the use of cognitive behavioral therapy.

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on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Lifestyle Diets.
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